Gaming’s Greatest Monsters

Do you remember the first time that a video game scared the crap out of you? Chances are, it was a wretched, bloodstained creature that struck fear into your heart, or perhaps an it was an expressionless young girl, which can be equally frightening under the right conditions.

Video games are the perfect canvas for inspiring terror. Once 3D graphics and CD quality audio became the norm, it became easier to buy into the sights and sounds coming out of our TVs. The moans and screams of tortured creatures began to feel authentic, and monsters, man and creature alike, felt alive, even though they’re nothing but pixels on a screen. If you need evidence that developers are getting better at creating scary games, take one look at P.T., the playable sketch for what will eventually become Silent Hills, or Outlast, which takes you on a tour through a demented psychiatric asylum filled with disturbed, malformed lunatics. Both games are terrifying, even for someone who’s seen it all.

In honor of Halloween and gaming’s achievements in the field of horror, we’ve compiled a list of our favorite monsters from the history of gaming. Some are old, some are new, but at one point or another, they’ve all left their mark on someone, and likely, inspired more than a few nightmares.

Resident Evil – Zombie

Resident Evil 2 – Licker

Resident Evil 3: Nemesis – Nemesis

Resident Evil 4 – Regenerator

Silent Hill 2 – Pyramid Head

Silent Hill Homecoming – Sepulcher

P.T. – Lisa

Fatal Frame Series – Akane and Azami Kiryu

Outlast – Chris Walker

Slender – Slender Man

F.E.A.R. – Alma

Dead Space Series – Necromorphs

Dark Souls – Gaping Dragon

Doom 3 – Hell Knight

Catherine

BioShock – Big Daddy

Amnesia: The Dark Descent – Gatherers

Super Metroid – Mother Brain

What did we miss?

These are some of our favorites, but this list only scratches the surface of gaming’s monster hall-of-fame. Did we miss one of the greats? Chime in below and let us know what you think deserves to be nominated as gaming’s greatest monster.